


Fourteen Weeks

by EvergreenLaurel



Series: Breaking the Laws of Attraction [4]
Category: Scorpion (TV 2014)
Genre: Coffee, F/M, Fluff, Gardening, Paige's pov, Rare Pair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:45:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11117289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvergreenLaurel/pseuds/EvergreenLaurel
Summary: "Sometime around week seven, Paige discovered that if she missed their morning routine she felt off for the rest of the day."Paige and Sylvester enjoy some relationship development.





	Fourteen Weeks

**Author's Note:**

> Set post "Dirty Seeds Done Dirt Cheap" in season 3.

It all started when Paige decided to arrive at the garage particularly early one morning because Ralph had to be at the school at 6:30 to go to on a field trip. Paige had considered going back to her apartment, but ultimately decided that finding herself in LA morning rush hour wasn’t worth the extra few minutes of sleep she might have gotten. Walter was awake when she arrived but in one of his research moods that Paige hadn’t felt like putting up with first thing in the morning. So, instead, she grabbed a cup of coffee and went up to the roof, hoping that the early morning air combined with the caffeine would put her in a more tolerant mood. It was there that she found Sylvester, sipping serenely on a cup of tea and gazing at his rooftop garden. It looked like such a calm, private moment that Paige initially turned to leave but Sylvester saw her and called out before she could make it to the door.

“Paige! Good morning!” Paige turned around to see Sylvester’s cheery smile directed her way. “Would you care to join me?” He gestured to the seat across from his at the small table.

Paige couldn’t help but return the smile. “Sure.”

“You know, it’s so peaceful up here in the morning before everyone gets here and all the chaos starts and the world begins to fall apart,” Sylvester commented after a few moments of companionable silence.

“The greenery is nice too.” Paige nodded toward Sylvester’s carefully tended garden.

“It is isn’t it?” Sylvester grinned proudly at his handiwork. “Kind of like a little piece of nature in the middle of the city... Nice, calm, _tame_ nature,” He added quickly.

“Mmm….” Paige smiled and took another sip of her coffee, enjoying the view and the quiet. She really didn’t properly relax often enough.

“So, Paige, tell me honestly, how _are_ you doing?”

Paige blinked, taken aback for a moment. It had been so long since someone had sincerely asked her that question, she didn’t know what to say at first. “Uhm.. fine, I guess.” Her eyebrows crinkled. How _had_ she been doing?

“It’s okay if you don’t know,” Sylvester reassured her, smiling gently as he took another sip of his tea. “But think about it and get back to me?”

“Okay, Sylvester. Thanks for asking,” Paige still felt a little strange about not being able to answer the question right off, but decided that she’d think about it later. “So how are _you_ doing, Sly?”

Sylvester grinned at the question and leaned back into his chair, “I’m doing great. I faced some of my biggest fears, and overcame them. I have a great job, great friends both inside and outside work. Life’s good.”

“I’ve noticed your garden is really flourishing—have you made any progress on the square tomato you were talking about?” Paige leaned back and took a sip of her coffee.

“Not really,” Sylvester shrugged, sipping his own hot beverage. “I’m still reviewing the hybrids most susceptible to shape modification. In the meantime, Ralph’s been helping me optimize the location for my strawberry plants for maximum sunlight exposure. The boy knows his botany and solar geometry.”

Paige smiled, always happy to hear good reports about her son. “He constantly amazes me.”

“And is constantly amazed by you, Paige.” Sylvester raised an eyebrow at her. “Ralph is lucky to have a mother like you.”

“Thanks,” Paige said, unsure of how to deal with the pang of regret she felt at Sylvester’s less-than-stellar upbringing. Instead, she chose to change the subject. “So what do you think of instituting a garage-wide ban on laser pointers?”

Sylvester laughed, “After the incident last week with Happy’s new signal device and Toby’s incessant curiosity, I think it might save lives.”

The conversation continued amiably for some time, and Paige was surprised at how easy it was to talk to Sylvester. They had just gotten into the subject of the best time of day to take naps, when a loud crash and Happy’s angry voice followed by Toby’s high-pitched wail interrupted their proceedings.

“And that’s my cue to go.” Paige reluctantly stood up. “Thanks, Sylvester. This was nice.”

“I’m up here every morning and you’re welcome to join me whenever you’d like,” Sylvester looked up at Paige and she was hit by just how much of a man he had become. “Mi casa is su casa.” He gestured widely to his little nook of the roof.

Paige laughed at the twinkle in his eye and nodded. “I think I might just take you up on that.”

And she did. Not every morning, but when she and Ralph arrived particularly early and Ralph started in with Walter on some project, she would grab a cup of coffee and slip up to the roof. She had almost forgotten what it was like to talk to someone who wasn’t denying that they had emotions or over-analyzing them like they were problems to be solved. It was relaxing to sit in the cool air, look at a bit of nature, and talk to someone who was really interested in her well-being and what she had to say.

Within two weeks of spending her mornings with Sylvester, she started to wake Ralph up just a little earlier each morning so that she was sure to get a few minutes of early chatting in with Sly. By then, she had proper answers when Sylvester asked her how she was.

By the fourth week, Paige started to notice changes in her life outside of the bubble of early serenity she and Sly had created. When a case was particularly stressful or some interaction with someone particularly distressing, instead of finding the closest or easiest person with whom to share her emotional burden, she found herself saving it up for the next morning so she could discuss it with Sly. The flip side of the coin was also true: when she had good news, or just a day that didn’t go out of control, she felt the need to share her joy with Sly first, over their hot beverages.

Week five, Sylvester showed her how to tie up plants in his garden so that the heavy fruits didn’t break the stems. Paige was surprised at how much she enjoyed working with her hands. Sylvester was a patient teacher, carefully holding the plants and instructing her where the strongest points of the stems were, while her small fingers made knots in the fabric strips they were using. When it came time to go downstairs for work, Sylvester blushed a little and told her that he really appreciated having a good friend like her.

Sometime around week seven, Paige discovered that if she missed their morning routine she felt off for the rest of the day and was much more likely to snap at her co-workers. When she mentioned it to Sly, he said that he felt the same way and that he’d heard that self-care was addictive.

During week eight, Sylvester got sick for three days and couldn’t come to work. Paige showed up at his door every morning with Chamomile tea and disinfectant wipes.

Around the ninth week, Paige got sick and Sylvester returned the favor, the main difference being that he insisted on wearing a surgical mask and gloves. All the same, Paige had never felt quite so thoroughly taken care of.

Week eleven Paige showed up on the roof the morning after a particularly trying mission, her face scrunched with emotion. It was one of the rare times when they had gotten involved too late—a mother had already lost her son and Paige spent most of the day trying to comfort the distraught woman while still getting the information they needed to complete the mission. It was one of the times that Paige admitted that it was hard being an empathetic person. Sylvester listened for a long time, then held her as she cried.

And it was on week fourteen that Paige realized that something had seriously changed in her relationship with Sylvester Dodd. They were in a common Scorpion predicament: in a matter of seconds their plan was either going to work, or they were all going to die. In what possibly could be her last few seconds on earth, and despite all her other options, it was Sylvester’s hand that Paige found herself reaching out to hold. Their wide eyes met as he squeezed her hand back, and, even when the world was deemed safe and sound, neither of them let go.

**Author's Note:**

> So this isn't my favorite thing I've ever written, but Paige/Sly kind of stumped me for a long time so I'm just glad I could make something happen. :)


End file.
